Chapter Eight
D riving a company vehicle , she pulled into her driveway and winced at how things had spiralled. Arcady and Kritz with their other two quad members, Drin and Vikor and her other four consortium members, Sergei and his family, and Zera and her set were all coming for the barbeque on Saturday.
She got out and opened the hatch, pulling out bags of meat while Sergei was grinning. Your friends love you.
I know. It s fucking delightful. In two days, we are going to be swarmed with enough firepower to take out a continent and my guests.
He chuckled. Petrov wants cuttings; Dmitri and Nelith are happy that you are willing to consider me. He helped her pull parcels.
I am hoping that Feral will be able to come with a tracker on her until the tribunal is held.
Kritz is confident that she will. I did not anticipate you knowing how to cook.
I cooked with my mom for every holiday, including her last, and made all the rubs and marinades for my dad.
She closed the vehicle, and they hauled everything into the farmhouse.
The next ten minutes were a flurry of getting the meat into the fridge near the back porch.
Why do you have this?
It s a farm. The meat that I buy doesn t always come disassembled. One of my sheds is a butcher shop when I need it.
He laughed. That is surprising.
Why? She counted upward and nodded.
You fly among the stars, but you butcher your own meat?
My grandparents lived this way and their grandparents. The land changes, but the way we use it remains the same, so we are the ones who must adapt. What I am has nothing to do with how I choose to live, but it does alter how I think about the world around me.
He nodded. I see. You were genuinely concerned about the land around the capsule.
Yes. Don t be offended, but I knew it was the energy of an active, but I thought you were already dead. That s why I screamed when you grabbed the burned edge of the cut I made.
He handed her the last packet. I apologize for startling you, but I thought I was dreaming again.
She put the packet in and closed the door. They moved on and did the same with the fresh produce.
I thought you would grow your own?
Wrong season, and I don t have a greenhouse yet. I keep meaning to get one, but the timing never lines up. She sighed. I don t have carpentry skills.
He nodded. I understand.
She finished organizing all the fresh stuff, grabbed the dairy products, and hauled them to the kitchen.
So, what are you making?
Tomorrow is going to be a cooking and baking prep day. I am going to try and make three varieties of dumplings, some pastry, and then marinades and rubs for the meat. Klauz is coming, and he s fussy. I can t believe he s taking a day off for this.
Fussy, how?
He owns and runs the most popular and exclusive restaurant in the city.
Oh, I see.
He will be very polite, but his consortium is used to the best and exactly what they need. Thankfully, for Drin, it is usually donuts. She is a metabolic active, and her weight fluctuates daily.
Ah, she was the elf we spoke to.
Yeah, the one that drooled on your boots.
He winced. Yes, that was unfortunate.
She shrugged. Yeah, ladies want to climb you like a tree. I get it.
Will you fight for my honour?
No. He looked surprised. I won t fight for your honour. I get enough hostility at large without courting more.
He tilted his head. You are a target?
Yes, since I was a dancer. Have you heard of a whisper active?
Sergei nodded. I have. One sentence spoken by them reverberates with truth and burrows into... that was done to you.
Another dancer. She spread the idea that I was dangerous, uncontained, and radioactive. This is twenty years later, and finally, folks are willing to listen to me.
She put the last pack of sour cream in the fridge.
Couldn t you confront the whisperer?
I could, but I have been in a bad frame of mind and might torch her on the spot. She has kids and grandkids already, so that would be bad.
You don t want to deprive anyone of a life.
Just because my life sucks doesn t mean I want to hurt anyone else who isn t actively doing harm. She stretched and looked at the bags that surprised her. Damn. Right. Freezer.
She stumbled back to the area with the extra fridges and lowered the ice cream into the freezer.
She looked at him. What did you want for dinner? Today is ready-to-eat meals, and tomorrow is cooking all day so that Saturday is less of a chore.
I will eat whatever you are eating.
She grinned. Good answer. She dove back into the freezer and started handing him single-serving packs of lasagne, meatloaf, chicken pie, and a puff pastry dessert.
Sergei s arms were loaded, and he was grinning. This is different.
Come on. Time to heat all of that up.
They returned to the kitchen, and she moved around, getting everything ready and then glancing at him. Do you mind if I do this my way?
He was leaning against the counter and watching. Go ahead.
She slowly warmed the pie and then moved her way down the line. The lasagne took the longest due to its density.
He had forks ready the moment everything was steaming. She took one, and they took the food and headed to the table on the protective trays.
Sergei grinned. Do you prep food like this often?
Yes. I forget to cook sometimes, but this way, I always know I have something to eat that I like. She chuckled. I eat a lot when I remember but forget a lot as well, so I have to keep food on standby. Every now and then, I spend a whole day making food, like tomorrow.
She looked at him. Can you cook?
My oma would have said no, and my father would say it was women s work, but yes, I can cook. My mother said there was nothing like the confidence preparing your own food gave you.
She smiled. Good. How is your stamina?
He had his last forkful of pie raised. For what?
Cooking all day is tiring. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling fine out of your confinement.
He grinned. If I need to tap out to recover, I will, but I will help in any way you let me.
All right. First, moves will be easy. Fillings for the dumplings and starting the barbeque sauce. I make my own, and the hot sauce is already done. Those I grew the peppers for.
He grinned. Can I try some?
She shrugged and went to the pantry to get a bottle.
She popped the top and set it down in front of him. There you go. I have mild, medium and hot. This is medium. It s good on the meatloaf, but start with a drop.
He tried it and grinned. That is good. Not just hot but very flavourful.
She laughed and smiled. That was the point.
He used more, and then, she winced as he drank it. Starry tendrils started leaking out of his eyes, and she started laughing. It is cumulative.
He coughed, and she got him some water and some full-fat milk.
She set it down, and he sipped at both. The milk did a better job.
He coughed and put a few drops on his lasagne before tucking in. Litha couldn t stop giggling.
Lesson learned. Thank you for not bringing me the hot sauce.
I was watching the men at the party compete with the number of pickled peppers in a stack. I am guessing the urge is genetic.
He grinned. My little sister was always above such things.
Litha smiled. It does explain your sex life. A little is good; so much more must be better.
He paused and got serious. Like many actives, I have a hunger for connection, and my activation allowed me to indulge in it. It comforted me.
She looked at the sincerity in his expression. You are lucky to have found comfort.
He jolted, and his eyes widened. And you did not.
She worked on her lasagna without another word.
She finished and said, Did you want me to clear up or, okay, all leftovers are yours. I am going to exercise a bit, and then, I will make dessert.
He nodded. I will finish up and find you.
She put her dishes in the sink and headed to the barn.
She was panting, sweating, and pressing her ribs when she heard, How many fouett s was that?
Twenty-nine. I can t break twenty-nine. Never could.
She looked over at him, and to her surprise, he was grinning and wearing sweats and pointe shoes.
Wait. You danced?
Three years professionally. It was a government espionage situation, but I still had to learn.
She watched as he went to warm up. You were considered stealthy?
There was an Uraddan ballerina, and we were trying to get her free of her government.
Oh, so you threw yourself on your sword, so to speak.
He grimaced. My appetites were excessive, and if I had any idea I would be in this situation, I would have been far more selective and careful.
Hindsight, huh? Well, if I had known you were in there ten years ago, I would have gotten you out.
He paused and nodded. I believe I understand.
She watched him as he warmed up, and he asked for some upbeat music. She played it, and he began some hopping steps, and then, he began to dance. Jumps, kicks, flips, and some of the dancing the Erradians were known for.
She smiled and sat back, watching with her own eyes someone other than her perform. She had been teased with the idea of going to the ballet with her patron, but he had never made the arrangements.
She was getting a private performance. When he rested, she cheered and clapped.
Sergei s grin was sheepish. I am woefully out of practice. His chest gleamed with sweat.
Well, no more so than me. You were very good, and I can t do those kicks that I saw your people engage in.
Would you like me to teach you?
Can you?
Certainly. It is hard on the ass and thighs, though.
She stood up. Well then, let s start slow.
How do you react when lifted?
It s been a while.
Can we try some trust exercises?
Like a fall? It doesn t scare me. I never hit the ground.
Like lifts.
Oh. Um. Okay.
What started as something cute turned into a night of torment as he slid his hands around her ribs, between her thighs, and her most vulnerable spot. Under her arm.
To have a man staring down at you while you collapsed in giggles wasn t something she had experienced before. He reached for her, but when his fingers grazed her triceps, she shrieked in laughter.
He was grinning as he crouched. This is possibly the most shocking thing I have learned about you.
She wheezed. It happens a couple of times a year, and apparently, this is one of those times.
You don t say. He scooped his arms under her and lifted her onto his lap, sitting on the floor.
Litha wiped tears from her eyes and cleared her throat. Sorry.
Don t apologize. That was fun. You are scarily self-contained.
I am aware. She huffed a calming breath.
He stroked her jaw and tilted her chin. She frowned and looked up, but his kiss came in place of more gentle mocking.
He kept the contact light as he brushed his lips over hers again and again until she moved to catch him for something firmer.
She couldn t catch him and backed away, confused. Um, okay. Showers and sleep.
He blinked. I thought we were getting along.
Were we? I have no clue. She levitated out of his grip and removed her pointe shoes, putting on her puffy boots.
She walked past him and said, Please turn the light off when you are done.
* * * *
S ergei watched her walk across the yard and get back into the house. He contacted Dmitri. Cousin, I have some confusion.
Nelith is with me. Is that a problem?
No. It might be helpful.
What is it?
I was kissing Litha, and it was going well. I was teasing her a little, and she suddenly pulled back.
Dmitri looked to the side and said, Idiot. Moron. Twit. I am translating for my dear wife.
Right. Can you ask her what I did wrong?
Dmitri kept his head cocked. Litha was homeschooled. Her parents were researchers. She doesn t know what physical affection feels like, and if it never progresses, she thinks it won t. Nelith was assaulted several times in her lifetime, so she understood the entire spectrum of things. Litha hasn t been allowed to be near anything and just sees people coupling up around her. Intellectually, she knows things, but she has no physical idea of what happens next. If things stall out, she assumes you lost interest.
Oh. So, if I was a teen, a girl kissed me, and that was it. I didn t know what was coming next, so I couldn t expect what came next. But she knows what comes next and knew that it wasn t heading that way. Understanding crashed around him. Thank Nelith for me, Dmitri.
He ended the call and headed back to the house and the room she had pointed out to him. He heard her moving in the room down the hall, and while he wanted to go and continue what they had started, he now understood that she wasn t in the mood for teasing. She was on or off. She didn t have a midway setting because she had no settings.
He took a shower, climbed into bed, and lay back, trying to sense Litha in the house. He found her and sighed as he lay back in the bed with the quilt that her grandmother had probably made.
He really hoped he didn t dream.
Midnight woke slowly, and he heard the laughter outside. Last chance for air before your radiation poisons your own people as you rot.
I am a negotiator. He slammed his hands on the perfectly smooth surface inside the container he was in.
Actives don t speak for anyone in Uradda!
He heard a countdown, and then, the capsule heated and lifted off. He screamed and shouted, but no one heard him.
* * * *
L itha bolted down the hall and ran to his room. Light and energy were flaring wildly, and his hands were clawing at a barrier that wasn t there.
She pulled in the extra radiation and began to sing over his shouting. She walked to him and touched the top of his head, stroking him as she continued singing an Erradian folk song. His arms snapped out and pulled her against him.
She lay with her head pressed to his jaw and his arms around her. He breathed in deep and shuddered into a restful breathing.
Well, one of them was getting rest.
He let her go near dawn, and she staggered to her room, set her alarm, and crashed. If she got an hour, that should be good enough.